Class I railroads are typically known for long-haul transportation of commodities with as few stops in between as possible. Currently, there are six Class I railroads in North America:
- BNSF
- Canadian National Railway
- CPKC
- CSX
- Norfolk Southern
- Union Pacific
Short line and regional railroads extend the reach of a Class I railroad into markets not located directly along Class I routes. They provide a short-haul connection between the Class I and a customer – or the “first and last mile.” Short line and regional railroads often take many smaller customer shipments and group them together on one train, which can lower transportation costs and increase service. To learn more about their role in the North American transportation chain, visit the American Association of Short Line and Regional Railroads website.
G&W currently owns or leases more than 100 short line or regional railroads in the U.S. and Canada.
Customer Success Stories
North Carolina & Virginia Railroad Upgrades Track for 19-Year Customer
Recognizing the value in its 19-year relationship with Nucor, Genesee & Wyoming’s (G&W) North Carolina & Virginia Railroad Company (NCVA) undertook a project to upgrade track for 286,000-lbs. capacity along its 56 miles and increase speeds on a substantial portion of the line.
Customers Benefit from Kyle Railroad’s Railcar Storage during Pandemic
COVID’s crippling impact on the economy forced many railcar owners to seek storage space at levels rarely seen – to the tune of 390,000 cars stored across North America’s rail-freight network by the end of March 2020. Determined to make the best of an unprecedented situation and support its customers, G&W’s Kyle Railroad (KYLE) devised a plan that leveraged its 550-mile footprint across Kansas and eastern Colorado to satisfy the demand and help keep the rail industry’s network fluid.
Maryland Midland Railway Team Willing to Get Hands Dirty for County Bureau
To many passerby, the scene was likely nothing more than mounds of dirt. But for Maryland Midland Railway (MMID), that dirt translated to big business. In 2017, Carrol County Bureau of Resource Management (CCBRM) approached MMID regarding a project to redirect Little Pipe Creek and create a drainage pond to improve waterflow and reduce downstream flooding in Westminster, Maryland. With the streambed directly adjacent to MMID’s mainline, the county sought shuttle service to haul 70,000 cubic yards of dirt to two locations roughly five miles west in New Windsor, Maryland – a site that was being repurposed into a baseball field and a farm that was undergoing regrading.